The Friend Zone – Ingram Street

Listen now: https://ingramstreetmusic.hearnow.com

If pop-infused sounding R&B is your thing, then this track is for you. Contrary to popular belief, male singing groups were an R&B thing long before it was the 90s ‘boy band’ thing. From older legendary groups like The Manhattans and The Temptations to their more modern counterparts Boyz II Men, one does not have to look very far to validate this. In many ways, Ingram Street’s latest release, The Friend Zone, reminds us of that fact too.

Ingram Street’s identity as a duo is reminiscent of listening to some of the early, upbeat works of R&B male groups like Boyz II Men. For starters, these gentlemen can sing and their harmonies are slick. Add that to the reality of the bouncy, dance nature of this song and you are back in the late 80s and early 90s when this sound ruled the charts. Importantly, though, Ingram Street modernizes the sound a bit, without completely losing its authenticity. While the song tackles a topic that is popular in modern times, the song does not have typical mainstream top-40 potential from the jump. It can, however, crossover after some expected success on the R&B and Hip Hop Adult Contemporary charts which is the sweet spot of the song’s sound.

Listen now: https://ingramstreetmusic.hearnow.com

BIO

Ingram Street is an r&b vocal duo that consists of brothers, Howard “Minquel” Ingram & Daniel “Woody” Ingram. They have been singing, performing, and writing songs since the ages of four and six years old. Early influences include The Jacksons, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and New Edition.

The group is set to release their new album “Paint the Town” in the fall of 2020. This will be the follow up to their debut album “Escapism” which was released in 2015. The new album will feature tracks produced by renowned composer, Preston Glass. Preston produced two songs on the new project. The first single, “Beautiful Possibility” and another cut entitled “Keepin’ It Special.” Both songs are co-written by Temptations’ group member Ron Tyson. The album also features production by Brandon “B Jazz” Scott who produced several hit songs for Eric Roberson, who is considered the king of Independent Soul Music. Ingram Street rounds out the writing and production of the new album along with their longtime writing and production partner, Irving Johnson, who was also a member of the group, Up 2 Par. The album is a nice mix of quiet storm soul ballads, contemporary pop, and some Chicago style steppers grooves. The feel of the album is a nice balance of the music that influenced the group in their early years but also the music that influences them even today. Artists such as Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, The Weekend, H.E.R., and Daniel Caesar come to mind when listening to the new songs; however, Ingram Street still has a vibe all of their own.